Sunday, September 28, 2008

Swim-Not An Option

imageOn my what has come to be my daily or at least every other swim, I encounter creatures of the Caribe that are absolutely beautiful and some quite amazing. There are few things I've encountered underwater that are more aggressive though than squirrelfish. The orange and light blue or gray striped fish is an aggressive protector of underwater real estate, hole or ledge. It'll go after almost anything that get's close no matter how much bigger that thing is, including human.

Now they can barely hurt a plankton, no teeth or poisonous appendage, but when the wide eyed striped fish puffs up, spreads it's fins wide, unfurls the yellow tinted dorsal fin and then "shakes"...it's fear inducing. If it actually had jaws/teeth or something poisonous to drive deeply into your nervous system, it would be truly frightful. And when I say shake...I mean it literally convulses it's whole body...as if to say, "I'm really serious; Don't take another step (or stroke) forward !!" The sad, down turned mouth makes it even worse...almost angry. I usually return the greeting by spreading my arms and legs and shaking violently. I'm sure it's hysterical to see from afar.

The swim after first block exams was WONDERFUL, and it has become a compulsory event. Swimming (or running) is not an option. It is part of my sanity so that as people around me say "how can you be doing medical school", I can say, "it's not a problem."